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Podcasts that break down the news

Money, politics, big pharma — these podcasts take news consumption from "hot off the presses" to "press play."

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CBC Radio · Posted: Mar 22, 2019 9:56 AM ET | Last Updated: March 22

Listen to the full episode53:06

Democratic New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the faces of the Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to tackle climate change and reshape the entire U.S. economy. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

If you're up with your political history, you probably remember the Watergate scandal that took place in the early 1970s during the Nixon administration. What many people don't know is at the same time, another scandal was taking place inside the White House, around Vice President Spiro Agnew.

The podcast Bag Man from MSNBC uncovers this 45-year-old fragment of political history that was highly overlooked in its day. Host Rachel Maddow uncovers Agnew's criminal schemes and the lengths he went through to avert suspicion from his own Justice Department. Up until Bag Man's release, this situation was so confounding to the people involved that even they never knew the full story until they were interviewed for the show! The political drama makes for a bingeable listen, which is why it's my pick of the week.

-Kelsey Cueva, Intern, Podcast Playlist.

Podcasts featured this week:

This Is Why: A Global News investigation uncovered a widespread scheme in which Ontario pharmacies were allegedly defrauding the provincial government.

The Argument: Three New York Times columnists debate the merits and political viability of the Green New Deal, the raft of policies being proposed by progressives to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Bag Man: The criminal investigation of Spiro Agnew was at the time overshadowed by the Watergate investigation. The story of his corruption and downfall hasn't been widely told — until now.

Front Burner: The Alberta election is getting interesting, especially if you consider the growing controversy around Jason Kenney's run for UCP leadership. Front Burner breaks it down and explains the story.

Planet Money: In honour of President Trump setting a record for forcing the longest government shutdown in U.S. history back in January, Planet Money took a look at the very first shutdown back in 1879, and how it wasn't all that different from today.

The Big Story: In January, the Ryerson student newspaper the Eyeopener broke a major corruption story about student union executives who had allegedly racked up thousands in credit card bills at Liquor stores and restaurants on student dime.